Rovers are some of the best known spacecraft out there! In this lesson we’ll learn what a rover is, multiple ways a rover can move, and different forms of rover control. We’ll look at the pros and cons of each type of rover control and also discuss what it’s like to communicate with our rovers depending on the position of the planets.
Why are Submarines in Space Class you may ask? Well, there is water all over the Solar System. It is not just on Earth. And we want to explore those liquid areas! In this lesson we’ll learn the difference between a submarine and a submersible, learn a little bit about deep sea life, the challenges of underwater exploration, and the forces acting on a submarine.
Landing is very important to exploration, both on other planets & moons as well as returning astronauts safely to Earth. In this lesson we’ll learn about where we have landed, what is Planetary Protection, the things we need to consider when going from SUPER FAST to STOPPING on the surface, and the main ways we have landed our spacecraft and astronauts.
Humans in space! One of the most popular answers to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is an Astronaut. How does one become an astronaut? What is the process for applying to be a NASA astronaut? What are the basic requirements and is there anything else that should be done beyond that? Where have we sent astronauts so far? Learn what it takes in this lesson!
We control our robots and our spacecraft with something called a CPU. A CPU is a Central Processing Unit. In this lesson we’ll talk about computers and why we use robots in exploration. We’ll learn what a CPU is, what A CPU is made up of, and a little introduction to computer logic. We take a complex machine and break it down into simple parts.
How do we communicate in space? We need to be able to talk to our spacecraft and have them talk to us. In this lesson, we’ll learn the different types of space communication, some of the different plans & hardware used, what a ground network is, and the basics of encoding and decoding a signal.
What is Spectroscopy? That’s a pretty big science word. Spectroscopy is the study of how electromagnetic radiation, like visible light, X-rays, and infrared light, interacts with matter. In this lesson, we’ll learn what spectroscopy is, talk about the different wavelengths of light, how we use it in space exploration, and what we can learn with spectroscopy.
Rocks can help us learn about the past. They are kind of like pages in a history book of Earth. If we can learn about this on Earth, we can use rocks to learn about places that are not Earth, like Mars. In this lesson we’ll learn about geology, how rocks form, and what we can learn from rocks in space! We’ll also talk about rock layers and fossils.
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space! In this lesson we’ll learn about the different types of nebulas that are out there, what nebulas are made out of, how some nebulas glow, and what gives a nebula its color. We’ll also talk about where baby stars come from!
The basics of Rocket Science! Do you know what the first rockets were? In this lesson we’ll learn about the parts of a rocket, the basic principles of why a rocket works with Newton’s Laws of Motion, and the different forces acting on a rocket. We’ll also talk about when we do and do not launch rockets.
